The Winds of Defeat
by Nasugi
Summary: Yasuo joins the renowned League of Legends in hopes of finding his Master's killer. One or two love stories later and we have ourselves a raging fox, a blistering swordswoman, and an all too disappointed samurai.
1. The Wind, The Fox, and The Exile

**_Hey, here we go! A full story. Multiple Chapters, none of that gore or sex or anything like that. I really hope you guys enjoy this one!_**

* * *

**Chapter I - The Wind, The Fox, and The Exile**

_Yasuo, always remember. The wind can be gentle, comforting, but it can also be quick and deadly, like your blade._

Yasuo awoke to the breeze as he remembered the comforting words of his sensei. Although he awoke, he didn't move a single muscle in his body. He waited, looked, listened. He could hear the rustling of leaves as the breeze gently flowed through the forest. There it was. The abnormality he was looking for. The gentle sounds of the leaves cut by the movement of a small animal. He closed his grip on his Katana, of which he never let go. The creature was on his right. Not a suitable position. He continued to wait. It made it's away around the tree. Up the tree. Onto a branch on his left. That's better. Yasuo had one foot on the ground, his right foot. He could quickly strike the creature with where it was now.

Yasuo put force onto the ground with his foot. He pulled out his Katana and angled his arm to go in front of the creature. He turned his body to adjust his aim and strike the animal, increasing his power. All of this in one swift motion. With a deadly slash through wood and flesh, he stopped. He looked up from the ground, but all that lay there was a tail.

_Damn. There goes lunch._ Yasuo stood. He placed his Katana is his left hand. Swiftly, he performed one fluid strike to the left, twirled his blade once, and secured it in it's sheath, as was custom of a swordsman such as himself. _If only I could get a drink._ Yasuo sighed. It was time to continue his trek through the forest. He was bound to arrive at the Institute of War soon.

* * *

After a few hours of walking through the forest, he came to the edge of a decent sized town. Overlooking all the buildings was this huge structure with the unmistakable insignia of the institute.

"Finally" He said to himself. He entered the town unseen, but upon walking the streets he found it was quite bustling. He noticed an inn and heard his stomach growl at him. Chuckling, Yasuo headed for the establishment.

Much to his surprise, the inn was quite rambunctious. Not unlike most other inns. What set this one apart was that it was in front of the League of Legends. Yasuo had assumed it would be more quaint. _Guess not._ Before making his way to the bartender he examined the room. An empty seat in one corner. _Perfect._ In another corner there was an overweight, shirtless man chugging on a barrel. He had a large orange beard._ Gragas, I presume._ Yasuo looked away. Sitting in the middle of the room was a bearded man with a cigar in his mouth. A large gun leaned against his chair. He was playing cards with another bearded man. This one had a hat. Yasuo's keen eye spotted the man with the hat switching out a card in his hand with one from his sleeve. _Large firearm, sleight of hand... that's Twisted Fate and Graves._ Aside from the three League champions, there were several people scattered throughout the inn. Yasuo nodded in satisfaction and made his way to the bartender.

The burly man greeted Yasuo with a familiar question, "What'll it be, buddy?"

"Any Ionian drinks?"

"Ionian? Hmm, well I got this here tea mixed with rum. The leaves from the tea come straight from Ionia. The rum, brewed by Gragas himself. Though, the only person who seems to like this tea is that monk."

_Hmm, he must be talking about Lee Sin._ "I'd like the tea, no rum." The man furrowed his brow but served Yasuo what he wanted. He took a sip. _Ah yes, my favorite tea. The same that my master would make._ Yasuo thanked the bartender. He savored these moments of peace. He hated to draw his sword on the innocent, but it had to be done. That assassin will pay. He heard some commotion and turned to see it's cause. A woman with short white hair entered the bar.

"Ah, Riven! Just in time. Come, let's play that card game you promised me for losing that match yesterday!" Twisted Fate beckoned her to sit with him.

"Don't play with this guy." Graves said, standing from the table. "He's a cheat."

"You're just a sore loser, Graves." Twisted Fate put up a glowing red card.

"I bet those flimsy cards don't stand a chance against my baby." He gestured to his trusty shotgun.

Riven let them bicker and walked up to the counter, not even noticing Yasuo. "The usual." She told the bartender. He smiled at her and handed her a glass. She walked over to the corner Yasuo saw earlier and sat there, quietly sipping at her drink. Yasuo could see it in her eyes. She knew what it meant to leave everything behind. He noticed her clothes. Some light battle gear. Noxian runes inscribed on them, and the sword she carried. Something about her sparked his interest, she seemed nice, for a Noxian._  
_

Yasuo gave the bartender his thanks and stood to leave the inn. He glanced at Twisted Fate and Graves, still talking about who has the bigger stick. Gragas was out cold in his corner. Yasuo stopped as he arrived at the door and looked over to Riven, who noticed him leaving. He gave her a warm smile. Her face flushed and she looked away, and Yasuo left the bar.

As soon as he left the inn, Yasuo was reminded of how hungry he was. Rather than returning, he decided on eating at a restaurant. He saw a sign reading, "Fresh Noxian Cuisine" so he entered hoping for a tasty dish and to see if he could spot someone who could be his potential target. He sat in the corner of the room, near a window in case he needed a quick escape.

He scoped out the establishment. Yasuo recognized the people here. Having a drink together, and looking awfully close, were a man and a woman. The man was wearing a purple hooded cloak. The cloak seemed to separate into small banners that ended with blades. There was also a dagger-fist on the table next to him. The woman was wearing tight black pants and a matching shirt. Her shirt wasn't really a shirt at all, considering it didn't really cover anything but the essentials. There were daggers strapped all over her legs and arms. Talon and Katarina, respectively. It could be one of them, both are Noxian, both assassins. Though, neither of them are known to use wind techniques. Either way, they were definitely suspects. He noticed a rather ominous looking hulk of a warrior, and a muscular man right next to him. They looked similar. One carried a large axe, the other carried 2 blades on his back. Noxian Spinning Axes, used by the one and only Draven, meaning that was his brother with him, Darius. Yasuo decided that Darius was too proud to kill someone not in the front lines, and Draven only wanted Glory, which means he needs an audience to kill. Both are ruled out.

Another figure he ruled out of his suspects was the one and only Swain. Even though he didn't have Glory or Honor, he wouldn't put himself in a position where he needed to get his hands dirty. A rotten man really. Yasuo would have loved to put him down for invading Ionia, but ultimately not who he was after. There is also Singed, who wasn't in the restaurant. Responsible for the deaths of countless Ionian lives. Not a suspect either. Though not a suspect at all due to his leaving of Noxus many years ago, there was also Alistar, enjoying a nostalgic Noxian dish. There were a few other people he could consider that were not currently present. Another big contender on Yasuo's list of suspects was LeBlanc. She was quite versed in dark magic and is the head of the Black Rose, which had affiliations with Noxus. The only other Noxian that Yasuo could really consider was one he doesn't really know. The one they call 'The Exile.'

The Exile was a Noxian Elite soldier who was undefeated in single combat. Shortly after the invasion of Ionia, he went missing from Noxus, and was presumed exiled. There were many stories of this soldier. He fought with a Massive blade that was as big as himself, but only carried it with one hand. Some storytellers talk about very interesting abilities he has; that his swing can cut down a forest, others say that it can slice mountains. Some even say that with a single downswing he can cause earthquakes strong enough to take down a city. However you look at it, he's a strong soldier with some mythical abilities given to him by rumors and silly storytelling.

As Yasuo pondered this, his teachings came to mind. _Yasuo,_ his master would say, _be careful of what you hear. Stories are as changing as the wind itself._ Yasuo allowed himself a sad smile. Remembering his master always made him feel this way. Like a beautiful dandelion in a thunderstorm. Yasuo shook his head. Clearing his mind and returning to the task at hand. He looked around the room. There were some non-Noxians here as well. There was a masked clown sitting at the bar. Yasuo couldn't put a face, or rather, a mask to name. He noticed someone leaving as well. A woman with cat-like ears and a large tail. She also had whiskers. She looked at him as she left, and he gave her an inquiring look. Intrigued, she walked over to him._  
_

"Why... hello there..." She said to him. Her voice was seductive, but not in a way that was inviting to anyone who heard it. It seemed natural.

Yasuo nodded at her, "Hello yourself."

"You new around here?" She asked as she pleasantly took a seat across from his table.

Yasuo tightened the grip around his sword. He's been challenged like this before. "Yes. Name's Yasuo. I plan on joining the League."

"Oh really now?" She mused, "Perhaps you'd let me test your strength?"

He wondered what she meant by the question, but accepted anyways. "Sure, how about a duel."

She gave a seductive little giggle, "Sounds good to me." She leaned in and gave Yasuo a kiss on the cheek, "The next might be a bit more mesmerizing."

Yasuo didn't falter at the kiss, but at what she said. She beckoned him to follow her, and he did but not without caution. They walked out of the town into an open field.

She took a stance, and her large, white tail unraveled to show that there were actually 9 individual tails. _The nine tailed fox. A legend in Ionia. _"You ready?" She shouted the question across to him.

Yasuo responded by taking his usual stance. Left foot forward, lowering his center of gravity, closing his eyes and gripping the handle of his Katana with his left hand. He took a deep breath, and opened his eyes. He gave her a nod. She nodded back. She kissed her hand and winked at him. Still waiting for her to make a move, he slowly pulled the sword from it's housing. She blew the kiss at him, and he could see some magic forming a purple heart coming directly for him.

_That has to be an attack._ Yasuo ran to the left to avoid the attack. The girl smiled at this and summoned an orb into her hand. She launched it in the direction Yasuo was running. _That looks painful, only one course of action here._ Yasuo was caught between an orb and a kiss, and both didn't look too pleasing. Instead of attempting another futile dodge, he simply stopped and looked at the fox-girl.

"_CHORYON!"_ He shouted as he used his unfaltering sword technique. He slashed at the ground, and with the magic that his blade held he summoned forth a wall of wind between him and the incoming projectiles. They both hit the wall and vanished into the wind. Using this opportunity he ran at the girl. She was caught off guard due to his wind wall technique and didn't react to him running at her, so he didn't feel it necessary to perform dash at her.

Since this was only a spar, he didn't feel it necessary to go for a killing blow. He pulled out his katana and focused his attack into a single lunge at her feet, lightly scraping her ankle. After hitting her, he sidestepped to ready his next attack. Alert again, the girl did a twirl and summoned three small balls of fire that circled her body. Yasuo assumed this was some sort of shield and got in close again to strike. While he scraped her arm this time, as he got closer 2 of the rotating balls caught on to him and shot towards him. He couldn't use his Wind Wall yet and so he had to take a full hit of the flames. It stung, but not like a fire. His Resolve helped take the hit. He stepped back, readying his next attack.

The girl tilted her head at the sight before her. Yasuo was emanating with an aura of wind whipping around him. She could hear the sound of steel clashing with steel as it arose from his sword and swirled around his feet and into the air. She performed a magical dash away from him, placing some distance between them. Distance was the key to fighting a swordsman, or so she thought. Yasuo placed the top of his blade about a foot behind him. Slashing forward and upwards, the swirling aura around him seem to dissolve and move into his blade. The girl smiled at this. That extra unknown power was now gone, and she was ready to give him another taste of her power.

As Yasuo ended his strike, the wind collected in front of him and blasted forward in a cyclone of power. The girl couldn't react fast enough and she took the full force of the whirlwind, knocking her into the air. With one fluid strike to the left, and a twirl of his blade, Yasuo secured it back into it's sheath and made his way towards the girl.

She got back up just as Yasuo approached her. "Quite some moves you got there."

Yasuo simply smiled at her.

"Don't think you've won." She said coldly.

"Of course, I wish only to know your name."

She paused for a second, taking him into consideration. Finally, she answered him, "Ahri."

"Beautiful name."

Ahri looked away from him, just as Riven had earlier, her face getting pink. He bowed to her and began to walk towards the institute. She watched him as he walked away into the night.

"Yasuo..." She said to herself.


	2. The Woman Behind the Desk

**_Sorry i haven't updated... I just never get around to writing the damn things. BUT I'M DETERMINED. I WILL WRITE THIS!_**

* * *

**Chapter II - The Woman Behind the Desk**

"ASERYO!" A younger Yasuo unleashed a Steel Tempest for the first time. The cyclone hit a target dummy, cutting it up into pieces and flinging it into the air.

"Excellent work, Yasuo!" Cheered his Master. _What fond memories... Master... I miss you... _"I think you're ready to move on to the Wind Wall now."

"The wind wall? That sounds dumb." _Oh, naïve Yasuo. That wind wall saved your lives countless times..._

"Dumb?! This technique will save your life countless times!" Yasuo laughed in his mind, but young Yasuo just scoffed.

"How can it even help me?"

"SILLY BOY! What are you going to do when somebody with a bow and arrow attacks you, and you don't have your Steel Tempest fully charged?!"

"Uh... die?"

After a short pause Yasuo's master erupted into laughter. _Master... how can you laugh so easily? How can you laugh at death... when death is what sent me down this wretched path._

"Yasuo," Said the master, wiping tears from his eyes, "the wind wall can block any projectile!"

Young Yasuo looked at his master in awe, "NOW I'LL NEVER DIE!"

Once again the master erupted into laughter. "Now, now, Yasuo. Never forget, should you let your guard down, you, or even those closest to you, could die."

_DAMMIT!_ Yasuo tried yelling at his master but it was just a memory. _I KNOW IT'S MY FAULT! You don't have to remind me...!_

"Master, that's so cruel."

"Don't worry Yasuo, one day you will surpass me. Then perhaps you can let your guard down, for nobody would even dare come to this temple to face you!" The master once again laughed and this time Yasuo joined him. _No one except that damned assassin. I promise, Master. I **will** kill him._

* * *

The Institute of War was a magnificent building. Yasuo took in the sight as he slowly climbed the steps to it's entrance. At the forefront was a small fountain, from which the stream cut through the middle of the stairs. Directly overlooking the stairs was yet another set of stairs, and on either side of which was a pillar. Runes were inscribed on the pillars, and floating above them were large prismatic crystals glowing blue with arcane power, as were the runes. Atop the first set of stairs the path veered to the right and to the left. Aside from the main building in front of him, the path led to smaller building, with several of those crystals floating about. The architecture reminded him of Mount Targon. Surrounding the walls of the buildings were columns, seemingly to support the roof of the building, although Yasuo was sure that if they were removed the Institute would remain standing.

Yasuo finished climbing the second set of steps and gazed inside the Institute. Even though there were no doors, the light coming from within blocked his vision. It's not as if it blinded him, more like created a wall. _The magic in this place seems endless... _Yasuo turned to look back at the town. The building he's standing in front of is the institute, and yet it actually encompasses the entire town. Not to mention the different areas around Valoran used as Field of Justice. He turned back toward the institute and walked inside. Upon passing the wall of light, he realized he was standing inside of a giant white room. Opposite to Yasuo was a desk with 3 women behind it. They wore white and gold robes and their hair was lavender. To the left of the desk was a set of large golden doors with magical runes etched into them. Yasuo chuckled at the doors that had no handles. _Impractical._ To the right of the desk was another set of doors, though these looked normal and wooden... and they had handles. Directly behind the desk was another normal yet smaller door.

Yasuo was slowly walking toward the desk when someone shoved him. "Move it, asshole." The man who'd said it to him was wearing a robe of similar color to the women at the desk, though his had a hood, and Yasuo could not see his face. He walked over to the large doors on the right and entered them. Before they shut behind him, Yasuo could see a large hall with many tables with people seated at them, most of which were eating. _A mess hall?_ Yasuo resumed his trek to the desk, and as he got closer the could make out the women more clearly.

The one on the left was writing something into a large record book of sorts. She was focused, and writing very, very fast. Her head was angled downwards, so he couldn't see much of her face. The women at the center had her hands on the desk, interlocked. She was looking directly at Yasuo, no, _through_ Yasuo. He realized she'd been sitting like that since he entered the room. The woman on the right was seated similarly, but her line of sight fell to the right of the swordsman. Both of the other women had purple eyes, and their expressions were blank. Their skin was light. Pale, even. Inhumanly pale, almost white. He could smell no fragrance that usually accompanied women. Yasuo was perplexed, to say the least.

Yasuo approached the desk and cleared his throat, "Hello ma'am," He said to the woman in the middle.

"Hello." They replied in unison.

He cocked on eyebrow, examining all three of them. None of them had changed her positions, save for the one on the left flipping the page, but continuing her scribbles. A few moments passed before Yasuo spoke again.

"Uh... I'm here to sign up."

"For what?" Came the reply, again in unison.

"Er- For the League..."

"I can help you with that, please come with me." This time the reply came from the woman on the right, who looked at Yasuo as she said her words. She stood up and gestured to the door behind her.

Yasuo paused. The woman stood there, her hand toward the door, a blank expression on her face. He walked up to the door, and gestured toward it himself. "Ladies first." She stood there, unwavering, looking at him with her blank expression. "Uhhh... I guess not." He looked back at the other ladies. The one who was writing had now assumed the same position that the other two were sitting in. Yasuo tried to cock his eyebrow but realized it had been in the position since he had last put it there. He shook his head and entered the room, followed closely by the woman.

He arrived in a room with two chairs facing each other separated by a desk. On one side was a stack of papers and a pen, and on the other was a small glass of a purple shimmering liquid. Yasuo took a seat on the side with the liquid and the woman took a seat on the other side. The whole room, like the larger one he came from, was white, including the chairs and the desk. There were no lights or candles but he could see clearly.

"Name." Said the woman, pen already in hand.

"What?" Yasuo said, not ready for her to speak.

"Your name."

"Oh... It's Yasuo."

She looked down at the paper and wrote down what he assumed was his name. He couldn't read the language she was writing in. Without looking at him, she asked a second question. Well, asked would be overstating things.

"Origin."

"What?" Yasuo asked, confused.

"Your origin."

"What's that mean?"

"From where do you originate?" It was her first real question. She didn't look up from the paper even once.

"Oh... Ionia."

She wrote something else. _Ionia, I presume._ "Purpose."

"What?"

"Your purpose."

"For joining the League?"

"For applying to join the League of Legends."

"Oh... uh..." Yasuo leaned back in his chair. He scratched his head and looked at the ceiling. _I can't tell her I'm looking for somebody I want to kill.. Maybe just looking for someone? _"I'm looking for someone."

"Who?"

"Somebody from Noxus."

"Their name?"

"Uh... I dunno."

Once again she scribbled something Yasuo couldn't read.

"What's this stuff?" Yasuo asked, picking up the glass and examining the liquid more closely. It was slightly translucent. The liquid was light at the surface, and darkened towards the bottom of the glass.

"Not yet. Put it down." She continued writing. _Hmm.._ He put the glass down. a few minutes passed of her writing, though he had no idea what it was she needed to write. He hardly gave her any information.

"What's your name?"

"No more questions." She replied as she finished writing. "Where were you when you decided to apply for the League of Legends?"

"Uh... I think I was in Piltover."

"Did you think your person of interest was there?"

"Yup." She wrote something else down.

"What in Piltover made you decide that joining the League of Legends was the best course of action to find your person?"

"Uh... Somebody told me there were quite a few famous Noxians in the League."

"Your person of interest is famous?"

"Potentially." The woman continued writing. Yasuo opened his mouth to ask her what these questions had to do with joining the league, but decided against it.

"Are you aware that within the League there are people from all over Valoran, including the Shadow Isles and the Void?"

"Er, yeah."

"Are you aware you may have to work with most or all of these people."

"Yeah."

"Are you aware you may have to work against most or all of these people."

"Yeah."

"How many people have you killed?"

"14."

"How many of them were armed?"

"All of them."

"Who is the most impactful on your life?"

"What?"

"Of the people you have killed, which has had the most impact on your life."

"My brother..."

"Does his death have anything to do with your applying to the League?"

"No." She wrote down to the bottom of the last page, assembled them into a stack and put them aside.

"Do you have any regrets?"

Yasuo considered the question, "Yes, just one."

"What is it?"

"That I couldn't save my Master."

"Drink the liquid."

"What?"

"Drink the liquid."

"Why?"

"To conclude the application."

"Can't I just sign something?"

"No, drink the liquid."

_What if she's trying to poison me? Have I been rejected? Has anyone been rejected from the league? Not anyone that I've heard of. Then again if they poison the ones they reject there would be nobody left to be rejected._ The woman sighed.

"What? You have emotions?"

"We're not supposed to show any emotion, but you're taking up my time. No we're not trying to poison you. I don't help everyone apply but none of my applicants have been rejected." _Can she read my mind? _"Yes."

Yasuo blinked. Her expression was still blank. He gave up, grabbed the glass, and drank the liquid. "Mmm... tastes kinda... like... some kind of... fruit..." Yasuo's vision became blurred, and his speech became slurred. _What's going on... I was poisoned! Dammit!_


End file.
